1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a releasable ski-pole-strap means, and more particularly to a safety releasable ski-pole-strap device in combination with a ski-pole handle, wherein the strap is adapted to disconnect from the skier's wrist under adverse conditions and at any angle of stress applied thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As has been established in the art, several problems and difficulties have been and are still being encountered in providing suitable means for releasably attaching ski poles to a skier's wrists, so that they can be readily detached to prevent injury to the skier.
Various types of devices have been unsuccessfully tried, and others are presently being employed that still do not provide the most efficient operable modes, and/or are operable only when stress is placed thereon under specific conditions. Many of these devices are very expensive to manufacture.
As for various examples of the different types of devices of handgrips, break-away handgrips, straps and break-away straps, the following U.S. Pat. Nos. are of interest: 3,378,273; 3,451,688; 3,540,751; 3,982,747 and 3,995,872.
Originally, straps were permanently fastened to the handgrips or to the ski pole itselt. This was to prevent the skiers from losing their ski poles when they fell while skiing. However, the skier soon realized that, if the ski pole were accidently engaged in an obstruction, it could very readily cause injury to a wrist, finger, arm, leg or shoulder, since the strap way unyieldingly anchored to the pole and to the skier's wrist.
Thus, as might be noted by the above-identified patents, many devices have been created to protect the skier. Developments have been made in break-away handgrips and break-away straps; but--due to either complexity of design, expensive material, or high labor costs--they have not generally met with public approval or use. Other units have been designed with mechanical parts that can break, jam-up or become easily lost if the skier takes a hard fall.
A problem with the straps presently on the market is that they do not have suitable releasable-loop configurations to fit the wrist area. Thus, if the skier should accidentally get a tree branch caught in a closed loop, he could possibly be seriously injured. Furthermore, the majority of break-away straps or grips will only release in a certain direction, angle, or axis, from the ski pole--thus, again posing the problem of possible injury to the skier.